


Opening Night

by iknowpIaces



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angst-y, F/M, Kinda, Rina - Freeform, implied pining, spare endgame please, takes place during 1x09 and post 1x09
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22099801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iknowpIaces/pseuds/iknowpIaces
Summary: In which opening night leaves an open possibility for Gina and Ricky in the future.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Comments: 10
Kudos: 107





	Opening Night

**Author's Note:**

> Still suck at summaries, I'm sorry.
> 
> Also, I wrote this immediately after seeing the episode at like 2 am so again, I'm sorry if this is garbage lol.

.

Seeing Gina felt  _ different _ that night. 

Ricky didn’t expect to ever see her again. It’s weird. Ricky’s never really harbored any ill feelings towards Gina, not even during homecoming if he’s being honest. Right now, though, he can’t help but feel kind of... upset?

Maybe it’s because he was still processing everything going on with Nini recently, they  _ did  _ almost kiss, after all.

Still, upon seeing that Gina was back, his concerns about where his relationship with Nini stands are suddenly the least of his worries. 

He thinks his heart might’ve skipped a beat as he tried not to get too caught up watching Gina performing her solo. Ricky remembers feeling a sense of relief when he caught sight of her  _ completely _ crushing her performance. 

He’s happy that she’s here.

But then, when the time came to confront her- that relief and happiness is replaced with something else: resentment.

Yes, Ricky is glad that Gina is here and he’s happy to see her totally kill it up on stage, but at the same time, he’s also  _ angry  _ to see her. 

He doesn’t want to be, but she just  _ left.  _ Gina just left without telling him goodbye, or anyone at all? All she left was a few vague messages and sometimes she didn’t even reply to him at all? Can one really blame him for harboring a bit of resentment towards her?

Talking with her feels different too. Ricky gets that he is, or maybe  _ was,  _ nothing more than just a school friend for Gina, but even then they connected, probably in a way Ricky has never connected with anyone. Talking with Gina was always easy, but now as he stands here, in front of her, he doesn’t really know what to say. 

Like, he has  _ so  _ much he wants to say to her, but instead, Ricky only manages to utter, “Still can’t believe you’re actually back.” He really can’t.

Gina looks as if she doesn’t know what to say either. “Yeah, well, one night only. Don’t blink, you’ll miss me,” she adds that last part to obviously lighten the mood.

That’s the thing. He did miss her and once she leaves again, he knows he’ll continue to miss her. It’s tough. Ricky can easily let go of this  _ resentment  _ he holds because Gina’s here and it’s like she never left! But, he knows she’s eventually going to have to leave again and Ricky’s really not a fan of being left behind.

“I wish-” he starts again, finding that he’s still at a loss for words. He wishes things were different. “I don’t know what to say,” Ricky sticks his hands in his pockets, hoping it hides the fact that they’re trembling a bit. There really is so much he wants to say. 

He wants to ask how she’s been.

Tell her that she did great out there.

That he missed her.

That it really sucked when she left without saying goodbye.

Ricky also really wants to ask if he could hug her. He doesn’t though, his resentment prevents him from doing that. Maybe it’s for the best, she’s still leaving.

“Don’t say anything,” Gina almost smiles. “Just fly, dude,” and then a full smile takes over.

It kind of catches Ricky off guard.  _ Has Gina’s smile always been this nice and comforting,  _ he wonders. “What?” he smiles back, because honestly, even though he’s kind of upset with her, he can’t help it. Gina’s smile is contagious. 

She lets out a small giggle. “It’s time to get your head in the game.” 

Yes, it is. Those jitters from earlier return as Carlos drags him away and Ricky can’t tell if it’s because of the show or something else.

**-**

His mom brought her boyfriend to the show, Nini is under extreme pressure, and Ricky just wants to throw up! He can’t be Troy. Not like this. Not when he’s on the verge of either punching a wall or hiding somewhere backstage and crying.

So he throws his costume at EJ because fuck it. He can’t perform in front of his mom and some man he has never even met and he’s not about to ruin this for Nini either. 

Now, punching a wall would probably get him in trouble or fined with property damages so instead, Ricky decides to run and hide somewhere. He doesn’t know where, all he knows is that he can’t be here. So, he just runs until his back is up against the lockers of the dimly lit, empty hallway.

He slides down, his hands clutching his head, and finally, Ricky feels like he can breathe again.

Everything sucks. 

His mom sucks. 

Her boyfriend sucks.

Not knowing where his current relationship with Nini stands sucks.

His inability to communicate or express his feelings sucks.

Gina leaving again soon sucks.

Feeling like this  _ sucks! _

_ At least now he’s alone. _

“Ricky!” Gina’s concerned voice comes from the end of the hallway.

_ Spoke too soon. _

Ricky sighs as she approaches. The last thing he wants is for anyone to see him like this. 

“Hey,” Gina’s tone is softer as she kneels down beside him. “EJ’s doing your part, what happened? Are you okay?”

He tries to brush it off as nothing. “What? No-no, it’s nothing, just figured EJ should get a chance to shine too.”

She gives him a knowing look. “You know you can’t lie to me,” Gina says, before averting her gaze away from him. “From what I’ve gathered, you and I are much too alike, remember? Whenever something’s bothering us, instead of facing it we just run.”

“You mean like you did from me after Thanksgiving?” That’s a cheap shot, Ricky immediately regrets the words, but he couldn’t help it. 

Gina lets out a quiet “Yeah.” Ricky didn’t expect her to agree with him, he was sort of hoping she’d lash back. It would’ve been a good distraction from all the spinning of his head. “Sorry about that.”

Again, Ricky is at a loss for words. He’s finding that to happen a lot recently, especially around Gina. “You didn’t say goodbye,” he breathes out. “You.. just left.”

Gina keeps her gaze low. “I did,” her voice is quiet.

Ricky’s eyes remain glued on her, though. “Why?” he doesn’t mean to sound so desperate, really he doesn’t, but with everything going on- he’s too drained to care. “I thought- we-”

“We, what?” Gina glances up at him.

He sighs. “I thought our friendship meant something to you?” Ricky rephrases. 

She meets his gaze and Ricky feels a lump in his throat. “It does, but c’mon Ricky, what was the point?” though it’s dark, he swears he can see her eyes glistening. “I’ve done this too many times, goodbyes hurt. Wasn’t it better this way?”

“No,” Ricky doesn’t hesitate to answer. “No, Gina, it really wasn’t. You said you knew me, well if you really knew me then you’d know how much worse it was to not hear anything from you for days! And then, when I did hear from you it was just a few quick texts and then  _ nothing _ .”

Gina blinks repeatedly before shaking her head. “It’s like I said earlier. I ran, just like you’re doing right now. Why?”

“It’s just too much,” Ricky huffs.

Gina nods. “I saw a couple next to your dad. Were they-”

“Yup,” Ricky stares straight ahead. “What a better time to meet the potential stepfather than during my opening night, right?” Just the thought of that man and his mom being together brings his rage from earlier back. “Then Kourtney told me about this lady from some music school or something being here to observe Nini and that was it. I knew if I went out there with Nini, I’d ruin it for her. So, I told EJ to do my part with Nini. I mean, I’m not as good enough a Troy as he is and well, just because my night was ruined didn’t mean I had to ruin hers, right?”

Ricky didn’t intend on spilling his emotions, especially not to the person he’s supposed to be upset with. It seems like all it took was a few minutes with Gina for everything to return to normal. It’s just  _ so  _ easy to talk to her.

He feels a hand on his shoulder and he turns to meet another one of Gina’s heartwarming smiles. Ricky can get used to seeing that smile, honestly. “You are probably the most selfless person ever Ricky Bowen,” she says.

Ricky finds himself dumbfounded at her words. “What?”

“It’s one of the things I really like about you,” she continues and Ricky chooses to ignore the way his heart kinda-sorta leaped at that. “But you do know that it’s okay to put yourself first, too?”

His brows furrow. “What.. what do you mean?”

Gina gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I saw you up on stage. You love playing Troy.” 

Yeah, that took him by surprise too.

“You shouldn’t let your mom or her boyfriend or even Nini keep you from doing something that you clearly enjoy.” She looks at him with so much light, it’s almost enough to illuminate the dimly lit hallway. “Besides, no offense to EJ, but there’s a reason Ms. Jenn picked you to be Troy.”

“Luck?” Ricky tries, despite the growing smile on his face.

Gina rises to her feet. “Talent, you’re an amazing performer Ricky, and I don’t say that about anyone,” she says before holding a hand for him to take. “Now, let’s get you back on that stage,  _ Troy.” _

He can’t help but take her hand. Still, the doubt lingers. “I don’t know if I can do it, though.”

She places her hands on his shoulders and Ricky immediately finds that he doesn’t mind the contact at all. “Look, I’m not going to force you if you really don’t want to- but this is something you clearly enjoy- and we need our Troy, Ricky. No one’s a better Troy than you.” He takes note of the ' _ we need'  _ part. It’s as if Gina’s still a part of their little family, as if she never really left.

Ricky nods, slowly. He feels whatever tension that lingered within him, vanish. “Okay,” he whispers.

Gina smiles again. 

_ Wow, does he really like the sight of that. _

“The show must go on!”

Before she can drag him back to the gym, he feels himself pulling her into a hug without thinking about it twice. Ricky’s chin rests on her shoulder and, though Gina does stiffen for a second, she doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his back.

“You’re incredible, Gina Porter,” the words roll out from him so easily. 

Ricky hears her let out a soft laugh near his ear. “You too, Ricky Bowen.”

**-**

He takes his role back with newfound confidence and it surprisingly goes well. At least, he thinks it does judging by how the crowd cheers and hoots. Though he has to admit, seeing his mom and her boyfriend still makes him squirm in discomfort.

He looks away, turning to find Gina’s radiant smile among the cast as they all took their final bows. She really does have a beautiful smile. It’s comforting.

**-**

In the midst of celebrations, they find each other standing face to face again. “So,” Ricky trails off, once again, not knowing what to say.

“So,” Gina mirrors his tone, her gaze heavy on him.

The happiness from moments ago is gone at the reminder that she’s only back for one night. He frowns. “You were wrong, you know?” he starts, earning a puzzled expression from Gina. “I’m not as selfless as you think.”

“Oh?” Gina still looks confused. “Why is that?”

Ricky scratches the back of his neck. “Because this is the part where I ask you not to go, even though I know it’s inevitable.”

Gina’s expression softens at that. “Oh,” she says again, looking down. 

“I’m sorry,” Ricky is quick to apologize. “But, hey, maybe now we can get a proper goodbye?”

“What if I don’t want to say goodbye?” Gina’s voice is quiet and hesitant. “Maybe that’s why I didn’t reach out the first time?”

“Then let’s not,” Ricky suggests and her eyes return to his. “I don’t want to say goodbye either, Gina, because I really,  _ really  _ like being your friend.”

A small smile creeps up her face. “I really like being your friend, too.”

“Then promise you’ll come back to me?” Ricky doesn’t know what possessed him to say  _ those  _ words out of all the words he could’ve possible said, but he doesn’t regret them. It’s true, he wants her to come back.

“I don’t do promises,” Gina shrugs.

“First time for everything?”

This time, it’s Gina who initiates their hug. She throws her arms around his neck and he’s quick to wrap his around her waist. Ricky closes his eyes and lets out a heavy breath as he feels her rest her head on his chest. 

His heart races and he tries to push the feeling of his stomach doing backflips away, because this is  _ not  _ the time for him to be feeling this way- not when she’s about to leave again.

“In that case, I will,” Gina says as she pulls back, slowly.

Ricky stares at her for a second. She’s glowing and like a magnet, he’s drawn to her. He takes them both by surprise as he leans in to peck her cheek. 

And Gina’s smile widens.

.

**Author's Note:**

> Their chemistry this episode was amazing?? This is probably the episode that made me really fall for them so let's get our s18 rain kiss rina nation!!


End file.
